Gucci gathers speed as new designs win over shoppers

Gucci is on course to top 4 billion Euros ($4.5 billion) in revenue for the first time this year as the Italian luxury brand’s revival gathers speed under its new leadership duo. Sales of items designed by new creative director Alessandro Michele have accelerated since March as more have reached shelves, Chief Executive Officer Marco Bizzarri told reporters Thursday before a fashion show for Kering SA’s largest brand in the cloisters of London’s Westminster Abbey.

"We are particularly optimistic and confident,” said the CEO, who took over 18 months ago. "Just go and visit the shops. It is the only brand that has people in the shops." Bizzarri’s bullishness contrasts with the sorry state of luxury spending. Sales of expensive handbags and other goods have slowed as China’s economy cools and as terror attacks weigh on the feel-good factor that drives purchasing. The sector will expand at best 2 percent this year, the second weakest rate since 2009, Bain & Co. estimates.

"Today, if you want to grow you need to steal market share,” said Bizzarri. “The only way is through creativity." (continued...)

See the new River Island x YMC collaboration here first

Following capsule lines with the likes of Baartmans & Siegel, Christopher Shannon in recent years and then, most recently, Lou Dalton, River Island has teamed up with YMC this season to bring some of the British brand's archive pieces back to life in a celebration of its 20th anniversary. Best bit about it all? The prices of the items in the line are high street friendly so anyone can get their hands on a piece of the collection.

Prior to the release into stores on 10 June, see the full collection and all of the prices exclusively on GQ.co.uk

Brands popular formerly only popular among dads are now popular among youths

For decades, outdoor brands have catered to a core demographic of middle-aged mountaineers and outdoor sports devotees, with product innovation and practical performance gear, such as water-resistant parkas, sturdy fleece and waxed-cotton duffle bags. But increasingly, brands including The North Face, Columbia, Canada Goose and Penfield are teaming up with streetwear labels to target young, urban consumers — earning high-profile fans like Kanye West, Drake and A$AP Rocky along the way.

For Autumn/Winter 2007, The North Face launched its first outerwear collaboration with streetwear label Supreme, comprising two new versions of the outdoor brand’s staple Summit Series jacket. The collaborative items — which took a more design-focussed approach to The North Face’s practical gear — sold out within minutes and kick-started a decade-long string of collaborations between the two brands, which is now in its 17th consecutive season. Waterproof jackets from the most recent Spring/Summer 2016 collaboration are currently on offer for $935 on eBay and $910 on luxury menswear resale site Grailed — more than double the original retail price of $388. In 2016, The North Face also launched Black Label, its own streetwear-inspired line, in Europe, having launched Purple Label, an equivalent range available in Japan, in 2003. (continued...)